When in Doubt, Consult an Online Repair Manual

Stock knowledge can be a very powerful thing. You’ll be able to remember trivia and facts in an instant, and you won’t have to constantly review stuff you’ve learned or consult sources just to verify if some piece of information is correct or accurate. Still, there are times when your vault of stock knowledge can fail, and this is disastrous for anyone working on an automobile. After all, getting the wrong specs or performing the incorrect procedure on a car can lead to disastrous and expensive results.

When you don’t really have the answer for anything related to auto repair, that’s your cue to log on to the Internet and get your trusty online auto repair manual. It’s all about getting fast and easy access to the sort of information you require to work on your ride and finish important repair or maintenance tasks.

There are also manuals that provide schedule and specification info, so if you’re not sure how much torque this bolt requires or how often you need to service that component, you can always check using the manuals you are able to get your hands on.

And remember the best thing about the World Wide Web: you can get a lot of information for free. You don’t really have to spend a cent (well, except for paying your Internet service provider) just to get reliable information and accurate online repair manuals.

So, when in doubt, don’t hesitate to consult an online car repair manual. We can’t always count on stock knowledge to carry us through the day, and sometimes it is definitely best if we have a reliable resource to confirm if our stock knowledge is accurate as well. Start finding good online repair manuals immediately and build up your collection. You’ll never know when you will need information, so you should at least have a few manuals on hand.

Online Repair Manuals: Google Tips

In this post, we’ll be offering you more tips on how you can easily search for good online auto repair manuals. One good way to facilitate searches is to make sure that the search terms are well-defined and strategic enough to get relevant pages. All it takes is a little crafty search engine know-how in order to get the results you want. Google is your friend, and here are some ways to refine your searches.

Use quotation marks

Enclosing your search term with quotation marks will net results that are exact matches to what you searched for. This will allow you to filter through pages that contain your keywords, except they occur separately, so it’s not really what you want.

Limit your search terms

You need to know exactly what you want to look for. If you’re looking for a generic repair manual, indicate it in your search. If you want a diagram for a particular component or system, make sure you type that in your search query. Don’t be too conservative with your search. Don’t say “Porsche Repair Manual” if you really wanted to look for a “Porsche 911 Service and Maintenance Schedule.”

Use the “Search within results” function

Once you’ve already gotten an initial page of results, you can still search through those results! Neat, huh? This is a good way to look for particular content using only the results you already have, instead of searching through the whole World Wide Web.

The * Wildcard Can be Really Helpful

Not many use the * character in their Google searches, but it can be quite useful. The * will stand for any term, so if you are unsure about what should be part of your search keywords, you can use this to help look for viable results. For example, if you don’t remember the full name of a certain part, you can let the * do the trick.


These are just a few tips when working with Google searches to look for free online repair manuals. As we’ve discussed previously, there are still many other avenues through which you can find reliable online car repair manuals, and we’ll save the tips and tricks for those for a later post.

Getting Some Free Online Auto Repair Manuals

Last time, we touched on how you can look for free downloadable online auto repair manuals. We mentioned the benefits of being able to cut down on repair expenses since you'll be doing the jobs yourself instead of paying your auto mechanic by the hour. In this post, we'll try to provide some more pointers and we'll even add a few links to get you started.

There are blogs that offer a wide array of different online repair manuals, auto repair guides, and just general information on various vehicle makes and models from all sorts of model years. You can find general specification manuals, schedules for periodic maintenance and service of various auto parts and systems, general repair manuals for particular vehicle models, installation instructions for specific vehicle components and accessories, and a load of stuff related to car repair.

Here are some good examples of sites that compile auto repair manual information, and they also have the added benefit of providing download links for a wide variety of manuals all in PDF format. The first one is http://www.freeautorepairmanualz.com, with its blog-style entries per manual. The good thing is that they are all sorted out by make in the sidebar, so you can use that to filter through their stuff. You can also use the search button above the sidebar to check if they have what you need. The other site is http://www.autozmagz.com/, which functions basically like the site discussed above. The difference is that you'll download the PDF file right away when you click the Download link.

There are many other sources for free auto repair manuals and free general car repair information. All you have to do is look for what you need specifically, including your vehicle's make and model in order to make sure that the results you get are relevant.

Looking for Car Repair Manuals Online

Most people usually just go to the mechanic to get their cars fix when problems start to arise. Well, not everyone can afford costly repair jobs all the time, and there is a lot of money that you can save by simply getting a reliable auto repair manual and performing repair and maintenance tasks on your own.

You don't even have to go out and actually buy your own personal car repair manual. There is always the Internet, which you can use to gain access to free online car repair manuals. All it takes are a few well-placed searches and some well-defined keywords and you can find the solution to your automotive problems.

There are many download routes you can choose to find your online car repair manuals. For example, some forums use file-sharing sites like MegaUpload, 4Shared or Rapidshare to share Pdfs or scanned manuals to other owners and enthusiasts. This is a great way to get free information, since all you have to do is download the files.

You can also search blogs that share that kind of information about auto repair. Some of them also offer download links to car repair manuals and how-to books. There are even some that provide sections of actual vehicle technical manuals.In some cases, you can also find a few auto repair manuals shared via peer-to-peer applications and even in torrent form.

The key is to know what you are looking for. After all, if you don't know the search terms or how to limit your search to get the best results, you could end up in a wild goose chase for that elusive auto repair manual. We will cover tips and tricks in searching for online auto repair manuals in a future post, so make sure you watch out for that.

Online Auto Repair Manuals Save the Day

Here's a story: My friend was having some problems with his '03 Nissan Pathfinder. See, the air conditioning system on his old (well, relatively old) SUV was usually acting up. The AC was turning on and the blower was also on, so we suspected something was up with the fans.

I asked him if he still had his ride's user manual so that we can check the layout and possible troubleshooting info. The bad thing is, he had misplaced or lost the darned manual when he moved to our town a couple of years back.

So I took my laptop and got my browser open, and we proceeded to search for some information on his car's air conditioning system. We Googled and Googled until we came across this site with a lot of vehicle-specific manuals in PDF document form. Some even addressed specific issues or had particular system information.

Right there, smack on the first page, was information on the fan control amplifier of a 2003 Nissan Pathfinder. While we still didn't know if the fan control amplifier was at fault, it was a start. We can start performing some diagnostic tests on the system to find out what was causing the AC trouble.

Since we passed the first check concerning the blower motor, we knew we had the proper manual. So we started checking the fan control amplifier's power supply, proceeded to check the body ground circuit, then checked if there was proper voltage going to the amplifier itself. Turns out there were some busted harnesses, and we just swapped them out right after to restore proper AC function.

The Internet is really an excellent source of information if you just know where to look. If you search hard enough, there are online repair manuals that you can find for your specific vehicle make and model.

Online Auto Repair Manual Reviews: Haynes

Welcome to another installment of our reviews on online auto repair manuals. This time, we’ll be putting Haynes Manuals under the microscope. Technically, Haynes isn’t an online car repair manual service, but it’s an auto repair manual service that you can access online. The manuals are actual published books rather than digital ones.

Haynes already has a massive collection of vehicle-specific manuals, and you can simply search for one using the Haynes site [http://www.haynes.com/]. On the top bar, you just input the year, make and model of your ride to see what your options are. You can also browse through the catalog on their site and see the lists and cross-references to check if your ride is covered.

If, however, you want a manual for a vehicle that isn’t in their database yet, you will have to wait 5 months to get your manual. That’s because the company has a “complete teardown and rebuild” system. They actually get a car (or a few cars) of a particular make and model and tear it down piece by piece to better understand the systems and components.

It’s a really cool system, because you know that you’re getting as accurate bits of information as possible. That’s also an excellent source for all of the detailed photos, diagrams and repair/service procedures that you’ll find in each manual.

Aside from automotive repair manuals, Haynes also publishes techbooks and guides for bikes and ATVs. You can also avail of Spanish repair manuals.

If you’re the type who prefers something tangible that you can actually see and flip through, Haynes Manuals are excellent for your car repair needs. Plus, you don’t have to pay annual subscription costs because your purchase is a one-time deal. You don’t get the instant access and searchable topics of online car repair manuals, but you get something that you can consult even when you don’t have access to a computer and the Internet.

Online Auto Repair Manual Reviews: Chilton

“Where smart enthusiasts click for service information”—that’s the tag line that Chilton DIY Online Auto Repair Manuals. In this post, we’ll be taking a quick look to see if it stays true to that promise.

Chilton DIY screenshot

Chilton DIY is made by Cengage Learning, a Singapore-based provider of modern learning solutions for both traditional and virtual learning environments. On the whole, Chilton DIY offers a healthy mix of features. You get detailed spec sheets that also contain corresponding maintenance schedules, illustrated step-by-step procedures for servicing and repairing your ride, troubleshooting vacuum and wiring diagrams, and access to certified mechanics that can answer questions (at a small price, of course). There are also videos and animations that can make it easier to learn and understand certain procedures.

All you need to access the manual is to make sure your computer complies with the minimum requirements, though you most probably will be able to use it as long as you have a decent computer or laptop by current standards. System requirements are Adobe Flash and Shockwave players, Windows XP or Vista operating system, Internet Explorer 6 or higher or Mozilla Firefox 2 or higher, and a high-speed connection.

Now let’s go to another important factor: cost. A Chilton DIY subscription will cost you $24.95 annually, with a 30-day option for $14.95. If you’re getting one, might as well take the 12 months because you get better value that way. That’s good for registering one vehicle. The price is right about the cost of an actual vehicle-specific manual from other sites like Haynes, with the difference being this is all online. If you’re not too keen on paying monthly or annually, you can opt for more generic Chilton DIY Total Car Care CD-Roms, which fetch for $19.95 each.

Overall, Chilton DIY is a good online repair manual alternative. If you’re willing to pay the yearly fee, the complete set of information in a manual for a particular vehicle make and model should be well worth the price.